First he was dubbed the “Tom Brady of Queensland” – then Brisbane fullback Reece Walsh blew up the internet when video footage surfaced of him catching a pass from the NFL legend himself.
Seven-time Super Bowl champion Brady completed speaking engagements in Melbourne and Brisbane at the weekend before flying back to the US late Sunday for NFL media commitments.
One of the highlights from Sunday’s show at the Brisbane Showgrounds was Brady hurling the ball from the stage to Walsh who caught it on the run, then spiked it American football style as the audience went wild.
Brady later signed the ball for Walsh, who was labelled the “Tom Brady of Queensland” when he was introduced to speak on stage before the star act.
Asked if he had ever given thought to playing in the NFL, Walsh said not until now, but was aware “there’s bit more money there”.
American MC JT Foxx told Walsh: “With your looks and skills, you’re looking at $25m to $30m a year, and that’s US.”
Tom Brady throws a pass for Reece WalshCredit: Instagram
Looking straight at Broncos boss Dave Donaghy, who was in the crowd, Walsh responded: “Did you hear that, Dave?”
Plenty of Walsh’s Broncos teammates were in the room, as were players from the Redcliffe Dolphins.
Brisbane prop Marty Taupau said it was one of the few times he had seen Walsh nervous.
“Someone threw him a tea towel to wipe his sweaty palms, but he did well,” Taupau said.
“But if Reece can catch a spiral bomb in front of 50,000 people, you can catch a pass inside a room with Tom Brady throwing it at you.”
Brady spoke about his career, how he was handed a start in the second game of his second season with the New England Patriots when Drew Bledsoe got hurt, and said: “I ran on to that field and said, ‘If they ever put me in, they’re never going to take me out – 22 years later, they never took me off that field’.”
Broncos coach Kevin Walters, who was in Melbourne for the Australian Open, was yet to see the footage but said it was only a matter of time before he watched Walsh’s impressive catch.
Walters said Walsh was already among the likes of Wally Lewis, Gene Miles, Allan Langer and Darren Lockyer when it came to his popularity with fans, but at just 21, there was still plenty to work on this year.
“Reece got a big thrill out of Sunday; he’s a pretty popular fella,” Walters said.
“We’re still working on some things in his game. We’re trying to eliminate a few of those unforced errors. We understand he’s a player who likes to take risks, and we don’t want to take that away from his game, but there are times when the odds against you are just too high.
“Defensively we also need to keep him in the right positions, which is something Darius [Boyd] is working on with him.
“Reece is only scratching the surface. Wally, Gene, Alfie, then Locky had his turn – Reece is certainly up there with those guys [in terms of popularity]. He’s very popular. And he enjoys that side of the game as well.
“Even at training I have noticed a few more people watching, and he has a lot to do with that. He’s popular with the males and females.
“He’s very calm and level-headed. It must be hard for him at times, but he manages it well. He’s very good with people and very respectful.”
Such is Walsh’s pulling power, the Indigenous All Stars and Maori All Stars made it clear they wanted him to be a part of next month’s pre-season fixture. He is eligible to represent both teams.
But Walters said his fullback was unlikely to take part in the Townsville game.
“We’ll have a few boys playing, but I don’t think he’ll be one of them,” Walters said.